A Boston surgeon shot and killed. A nurse strangled with a stethoscope. An employee shoved into a wall and pushed to the floor; another kicked in the chest.

The Patient Punched Me: The ED was at its worst, full to capacity, all healthcare personnel were stretched to the limit. I knew I needed to find a room and assess the patient quickly, complaints of chest pain and high blood pressure are very serious. The man was put on a stretcher and wheeled into a room, I was putting on the blood pressure cuff, oxygen monitor and cardiac leads. The patient was demanding to call his wife, I explained to the patient that as soon as I was able to take his blood pressure he could call his wife. I knew this patient from another hospital admission when I had taken care of him every day. I tried to calm him and started to say something when all of a sudden the patient punched me. He punched me so hard in my face that the force of that punch moved my body against a cart that holds our supplies…”